Ryuichi Sakamoto Playing The Piano at Bridgewater Hall 11th November

The legendary Japanese pianist and composer visits Manchester as part of his first UK tour in 15 years.

Ryuichi Sakamoto has been a driving force in modern music for the last three decades. His scores for films such as Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence and The Last Emperor have earned him Oscars, BAFTAs and Grammys, while his work with band Yellow Sun Orchestra has sold millions of albums worldwide.

But his biggest influence has been through his work as a solo composer, arranger, performer and producer. His work frequently fuses disparate genres and technologies to create complex and unique pieces of music that push the boundaries of musical expression. He has worked with many of the biggest names in music from David Bowie to Youssou N'Dour, his 1999 opera Life even featured contributions from His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and he recently picked up the Most Innovative Musician and Tour award from the United Nations Environment Programme's Echo Festival.

Now he is embarking on his first UK tour in 15 years to promote his latest album, Out Of Noise. Playing the Piano sees Sakamoto embracing the simplicity of solo piano as he presents new arrangements of his music from both Out Of Noise and his extensive back catalogue. Delicate, accessible and moving, Playing The Piano is a perfect introduction to the work of one of the world's most innovative musicians.